Energy is greener on the other side for Emperors Palace
The plant has the potential to provide Emperor's visitors with over 9 million hours of slot machine time a year
EMPERORS Palace has realised the energy really is greener on the other side and has taken the lead with an innovative energy-saving solution.
The construction of a solar PV (photovoltaic) plant is currently taking place on the roof of Kempton’s favourite entertainment hub, and will consist of 4 000 solar modules.
Emperors hosted a tour of the rooftop plant on Wednesday (May 18), and EXPRESS got to witness one of the largest, if not the largest solar plants built on a casino and entertainment facility in the country.
The plant has the potential to provide Emperor’s with about 15-20% of its electricity power requirement, or more practically, 9 500 000 hours of slot machine time a year – bonus!
This could save Emperors Palace about R2 million on electricity per year. Put simply, this equates to 30 million microwave meals cooked, 4 560 000 slices of bread toasted and 1 900 000 cakes baked using the hours per year that will be provided by the solar energy.
The construction of the plant began late February this year and is estimated to be completed by around late August.
“Once completed, the solar PV plant at Emperors Palace will be a 1.045 MW (megawatt) size rooftop plant. In reality, it will then be one of the largest if not the largest rooftop solar PV plants built to date on a hospitality and gaming site in South Africa and quite possibly the entire southern hemisphere,” said Ed Gluckman, managing director of Terra Firma Solutions.
Terra Firma Solutions, a leading energy engineering solution provider, is responsible for the building of the solar PV plants.
The company first conducted a detailed study to ensure that the roof could support the weight of the solar panels and associated equipment. As a result, the plant will be split up into smaller plants (arrays), across different roof sections. The study also entailed an analysis of the electrical demand of the site and, due to its scale, it was concluded that all the solar power produced will be utilised by Emperors Palace directly.
“We are extremely excited about the practical implications of the new solar PV plant,” says Nigel Atherton, complex operations executive of Emperors Palace.
“But this initiative is just one of our key priorities. Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts has a dedicated sustainability programme to reduce the group’s energy and water consumption, decrease waste and promote recycling. The overall objective is to continuously reduce any potential negative impact on our natural environment, whilst maintaining and improving the overall experience for our guests.”
